Shadows Of The Heart
by Karliah357
Summary: Lex is a shadow mage who joins Fairy Tail in an unconventional way. How will she handle her blossoming relationship with Gray through the highs and lows of guild life, and how will her unknown past create problems with its untold secrets even Lex is unaware of? How can two people share a happy life when they are constantly fighting to protect everything they know? GrayxOC & others.
1. The Mysterious Woman

Fairy Tail is having another normal day. Normal meaning everyone present has erupted into a massive bar fight, filling the guild hall with the sounds of angry yelling and wood snapping.

The doors fly open, hushing everyone as they all stop mid-swing. Standing in the doorway is a short, busty strawberry-blonde wearing a pink blouse and short denim shorts. Her gray eyes narrow at the mages in the guild hall as she points towards the guild members as they stare at her in confusion.

"Meet me at the hillside in the north countryside, if you mages think you're worth a damn! I'll defeat every single person in this room and then join this guild so I can be well on my way to the top! I can take all of you on by myself; you guys don't look so tough. Just a band of ruffians! I'll take every single one of you on tournament style! You've got three hours; meet me there if you have the guts!"

The doors slam shut behind her as she leaves. The guild members all look at each other in shock before straightening themselves up angrily.

"What did she call us?!"

"How dare she insult Fairy Tail!"

"Let's go take her down a few pegs!"

Natsu jumps from his seat, his head practically on fire as he rages. Lucy attempts to calm him down.

"What the heck?! Who was she?!"

"I don't know, but she certainly had plenty of confidence…"

"I'M GOING TO THAT HILL!"

"Calm down! Everyone here is offended, not just you!"

Guild Master Makarov, who had up until that point been drinking merrily, slams his mug onto the table. His eyebrow twitches in irritation.

"I'm glad she picked a desolate spot, because I won't let her get away with that! Everyone ready for a fight head out, you can't make a taunt like that and not expect people to act on it!"

The members cheer, heading out of Magnolia in a mob. Most of the guild shows up. No S-Class mages are present and a few people are out, but it's still a sizable crowd of angry guild members. The woman steps forward and flips her hair back over her shoulder haughtily.

"Glad you could join me! If no one objects, this will be a one on one for each guild member."

A few protest, but eventually they all agree to fight her one at a time. The first person steps up as the woman pulls something from her bag. She holds it above her head and then swishes it downwards.

Lucy focuses in on the item and gasps.

"I-It's a black key!"

Clutched in the woman's fingers is a black key, the head of which is shaped into a pair of horns and the unlocking piece shaped into a devils tail. She brings it down all the way and stabs it into the ground in front of her.

"I summon thee, creature of darkness! Lend me your power and vanquish mine enemies! Open, gate of the beast!

A black magic circle springs up across the ground and a huge shadow pools before her, moving upwards and forming a mostly human form that solidifies. A black mist forms horns and beastly legs, with tendrils of it clinging to its body.

Natsu nudges Lucy.

"Hey, what kind if key is that?"

"I don't know, I've never heard of a key like that before..."

"Maybe it's really rare! You should fight her and see if you can win it or something."

She slaps his arm.

"You can't just take spirits from their owners whenever you want!"

"But it's so cool!"

"I don't understand…I know silver and gold keys exist, but I've never heard of a black key."

Happy tugs on her skirt.

"Maybe it's a demon not a spirit."

"D-DON'T SAY WORRYING THINGS LIKE THAT!"

The two are interrupted by a collective gasp. The first guild member is down in record time, and the spirit hasn't even moved yet. Now that they are watching they see the next couple fall to the same magic as the spirit summons up their shadows to attack them for it. By the fourth person they've all wised up and tried new tactics, forcing it to really fight. It's good, but still takes some damage and is breathing hard after the ninth person is defeated.

Natsu jumps out next. He grins and cracks his knuckles, flashing the spirit a pointy smile.

"I'm not going easy on you! Nobody insults Fairy Tail and gets away with it!"

He rushes forward, hands ablaze.

"Fire Dragons Iron Fist!"

The spirit ducks around him and punches him in the gut. It manages to land an elbow between his shoulder blades before Natsu flings around and punches it with impressive force in the shoulder. It topples backwards, sliding across the ground and he rushes it again. It kicks him hard enough to stagger him and gets another flurry of punches in before Natsu overtakes it and sends it to the ground with an elbow to the head.

The woman charges over, hands balled into fists.

"Get up! GET UP you worthless creature! You aren't done yet, finish him off already!"

"Missy-"

"DID I SAY YOU COULD TALK?! GET UP!"

With a heavy sigh it drags itself to its feet and lunges at Natsu. Fire and dark mist swirl together as the two continue to exchange blows over and over again. Natsu finally throws it back enough to end it.

"Fire Dragons Roar!"

He wraps his hands around his mouth and sends forward a jet of flame that engulfs the spirit. It lets out an unmistakably female scream and dives from the flame. It looks like the mist is significantly thinner, almost enough to see through. Missy, what it called its owner, continues screaming.

"Knock it off you useless thing! FINISH THE FIGHT! HURRY UP!

It rises unsteadily and Natsu sets his hand aflame.

Just then Lucy lunges into the circle, grabbing his arm and clutching it firmly.

"STOP!"

Missy snarls at her.

"I said one on one tart, get lost!"

"You can't do this!"

"What the hell are you screeching about?"

Tears roll down Lucy's face.

"You can't treat them that way! Celestial spirits, they feel pain and emotion just like we do! You can't mistreat them like this!"

"What do you care? She isn't yours, she's mine! I'll do whatever I want with her!"

"You're wrong! I won't let you abuse her this way!"

All this time the spirit looks on, wobbling where she stands. Nobody can see her eyes through the mist, but she makes no move to assist or stop her owner. Missy's hands are balled into fists as she rushes toward Lucy and tries to punch her. Natsu easily throws her back, of course.

Missy screams at her spirit.

"DON'T JUST STAND THERE, MAKE THEM PAY!"

It doesn't move at first, but eventually limps over to Natsu and Lucy. She gets about halfway there before collapsing to the ground in a heap. The black mist vanishes, leaving behind a very human looking woman lying face down on the ground. Missy rushes to her side.

"GET UP! GET UP! DON'T YOU DARE RUIN THIS FOR ME YOU WORTHLESS CHILD!"

She kicks her a few times before Natsu approaches her menacingly. Missy backs away slowly before yelling to him.

"Fine, keep her! I don't care what happens to that trash!

With that, she runs away. Some people consider pursuing her, but don't see the point. Lucy rushes to the aid of the fallen woman as Happy holds back an enraged Natsu.

"Let me go! I'll chase her down!"

"You can't fight her you'd kill her!"

"I'll just punch her a little!"

Lucy flips her over onto her back, revealing a surprisingly beautiful raven haired woman. Her face looks a little like Missy's, and once her eyes open a bit she notices they have the same grey eyes as well.

She coughs, blood spilling from a lip wound in a rivulet down her cheek. She's covered in burns and bruises that are visible now that the mist is gone. Levi yells out to Jet to get a stretcher, and he's back in record time.

With that, they head back to town with the wounded woman in tow. Before they leave Lucy plucks the key from the ground and easily snaps it in half.

"Just as I thought...fake..."

She drops the pieces to the ground and hurries after the others. The broken key slowly turns to black mist and disappears alone on the hillside.


	2. A New Start

Lucy is sitting in the hospital room waiting for the woman to wake up. Everyone in Fairy Tail, Makarov especially, has taken an interest in her. The hospital already had to kick people out for being rowdy, so Lucy was the only one allowed inside at the moment. She had been staying with her since they brought her here.

Lucy is startled from her book as the woman coughs and places a hand over her eyes. She rubs her temples with a groan.

"What a headache..."

"Um...I'm Lucy..."

She glances over at her and a look of realization crosses her features.

"You're a good person. I haven't seen someone stick up for someone they didn't even know like that in a long time."

"O-Oh it was nothing...I'm a Celestial Spirit owner so I get sensitive about that..."

She laughs awkwardly as she tries to explain herself. The woman just shakes her head and chuckles.

"Nah, I think you're just a good person. I get that feeling from you. My name is Lex. Well, it's really Alexis but everyone calls me Lex."

At that point a nurse enters the room and tells Lex she can leave when she signs out. She gets dressed in her black cargo pants and white midriff top with flowing, gauzy sleeves. A half hour later Lex is standing at the doors of Fairy Tail. It looks a lot bigger than it did when she was in Missy's shadow. Lucy lets her in and the guild goes quiet as she enters.

Makarov and most of the fighters from before are gathering around the bar as Lex approaches. She looks nervous.

"I'm Makarov Dreyar, the Guild Master of Fairy Tail."

"I-I'm Lex."

"I think you owe everyone here an explanation, if you are willing to give it."

"Yes I agree..."

Lex sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose.

"Missy is my older sister. She doesn't have any magic so she tried using me to fulfill her dream of becoming a mage."

Everyone seems a bit less irritated with her after that.

"I'm really sorry about my sister...I felt obligated to help her, but I didn't know she'd do THAT..."

Makarov, still looking serious, looks at her.

"So what are you going to do now?"

"Oh...um...I-I guess I could go back to Lamia Scale and see if they'll take me back. I was in the guild a few years ago..."

She's startled by laughing. Makarov is laughing with a huge grin on his face. Lex slowly looks out over the crowd and meets the eyes she had been avoiding. They are all smiling for some reason…

"Join Fairy Tail!"

"W-What?"

"Well, you're already here and we know you're a great fighter. Why travel halfway across Fiore when you can stay right here? You've already made a friend."

Her eyes pick Lucy out of the crowd, who is smiling at her. She nods vigorously at Lex in response to her nonverbal question.

"I...I'd like that. Thank you, sir."

Within minutes she's sworn in with a choir of cheers all around. Mirajane stamps a Fairy Tail symbol just above her waistband on her right hip, not far from her bellybutton. The stamp is a deep purple color and she smiles at it as everyone cheers again. She has a good feeling about this place, but can't help but worry. A round is passed around on the house and Lex drinks her beer slowly as Natsu continues his barrage of questions.

"What's it feel like when you go into a shadow?"

"What does it feel like when you set a body part on fire?"

"How'd you make the horns and stuff?"

"Shadow Craft."

"Can you make other things?"

Lex sets her mug down and pinches the shadow it makes on the bar. Lucy, Natsu, and Happy (she still can't get over the weird flying cat) watch closely as she pulls some blackness into her hands and squeezes it in her palm. When she opens her hand again she's holding a black, misty rose between her fingers that quickly solidifies. Natsu reaches for it, plucking it from her fingertips. It stays solid for only a moment before melting into black mist and vanishing as the light from the room overtakes it.

"Hey, you're better at that than Gray!"

"What did you say?"

Lex feels someone stand beside her and looks up, her eyes locking on to a set of naked pectoral muscles. His right chest has the guild marking in dark blue and a silver pendant dangles from his neck. Looking up her eyes meet his blue ones set under a fringe of black hair. Lex blushes furiously up at him.

"W-Why are you in your underwear?!"

"OH CRAP!"

"WHY DO YOU LOOK SO SURPRISED YOU'RE NAKED?!"

The man rushes off and Lex looks back at Lucy in uncomfortable confusion. Lucy just laughs awkwardly.

"Sorry that was Gray, he has a bad habit of stripping without knowing it."

"How can...Nevermind this place is already weird."

Lucy nods lightly in confirmation. Lex drinks a little more and watches Natsu and Gray get into a heated argument until Lucy speaks again.

"I don't mean to sound nosey but...why were you helping Missy? She treated you horribly during the fight..."

Lex sets her mug down again with a sigh.

"Missy has taken care of me since I was four. She kept me clothed, fed, and kept a roof over our heads. Heck, she even taught me magic."

"But I thought you said she can't use magic?"

"She can't, but she's an extremely good teacher. She spent months looking for a magic to teach me. She was convinced that she had to find a magic so unique I would never be turned down by any guild. One day she came home with a bunch of books on shadow magic and started teaching it to me. Shadow Craft, Shadow Walking, Transformation in Dark Form, anything she could find that would apply. My fondest memories of her are of my lessons. As unlikely as it seemed from the way she acted, she isn't a bad person. She's just...eccentric. She drives herself crazy."

"Wow...such an intense person..."

"It didn't get that bad until after she helped me get into Lamia Scale. I was only seven at the time so it took a ton of convincing to get them to let me in. I brought money home from jobs but it was never enough, so in the end Missy was always the breadwinner. I think knowing I was going on missions instead of her started messing with her head. I stayed with the guild until I was seventeen, three years ago. Missy wanted me to leave it so we could 'work on our routine' so she could join a guild. Then she picked one she thought was filled with idiots and you know the rest."

"Why didn't you go back to Lamia Scale? I know everyone here wanted you to join us but you could have said no if you wanted to."

"You've seen them in the magazines. They're just...too posh. Every member is extremely classy and everyone dresses in expensive clothes. I spent most of the money I made on cute little outfits to appease my guild mates. I hated those clothes...they always got ruined and I always had to buy more."

"Won't you miss your old friends?"

"I didn't have many...just a handful. I'm going to write and tell them where I ended up after I get settled in here in Magnolia. I kept in touch with a few of them over the years, but it was hard with Missy being so overbearing. Truthfully...I'm kind of worried about her. I've never seen her freak out like that before and then she just ran off..."

"Well for her sake I hope she doesn't turn up again…You're our friend now, our comrade. We protect each other no matter what, even from mean sisters."

Lex chuckles softly and finishes off her beer.

"Do you have anywhere to stay?"

"No I haven't thought that far ahead. Missy went straight from the train to the guild."

"You can move in with me! If you want to, that is..."

"Really? You'd be okay with that?"

"Truthfully, I'm having trouble paying my rent on time. Having a roommate would really help and since you need a place I think we can help each other out."

"Thanks, that works out great actually! I can start working sooner since I don't have to look for a place."

They shake on it with happy smiles. Lex thanks Mirajane for the beer before the two women head out. She wonders why Missy ran off like she did, and where exactly her elder sister has gone.

*This series will follow the Fairy Tail storyline and contain spoilers. Some chapters will be more story heavy than others, but there is a ton of original content thrown in so don't worry. I try to condense cannon dialogue down as much as a can while giving just enough for everyone to remember the details, especially for the older story arcs.*


	3. Slow Beginnings

Lex is shocked to find Lucy owns a nice little rental house off the canal. It's full of cheery bright colors and looks like a great place for a young woman. It is a little too girly for Lex's taste but she still thinks it's charming. It has a nicely sized living room and open concept kitchen/dining area. The bedroom is big enough for two of everything but it seems Lucy owns a lot of clothes so reorganizing the furniture may be in order.

"There is only one bed, so I'll have to order you one. And a dresser too when we have the cash...do you need a desk as well?"

"I'll pay for that stuff in due time. When is this month's rent due?"

"In two weeks, the last Friday of the month."

They talk figures until Lex gets an idea of how much cash she'll have to chip in. After that she accepts a blanket and pillow from Lucy that she places on the couch.

"I'll just sleep here for now."

"I just realized this, but you don't have any luggage…"

Lex grins and drops to one knee, sticking her arm shoulder deep into her own shadow. She feels around a bit before pulling a dark green trunk from the confines of her shadow and placing it on the ground. Lucy looks on in amazement as she opens it and begins digging around, pulling out a couple piles of colorful clothing.

"These belonged to Missy. I doubt she'd come back for them since she has so much back home, so you can have them all."

"Oh I couldn't!"

"I won't wear them. They are way too colorful and designer for my taste, so you can have them. I was just going to leave them in the trunk but this way they don't go to waste."

Lucy hesitantly agrees, but she then spends the next few minutes picking through the items and talking about how cute they are. She really likes them, so now Lex doesn't have to bother with them. The trunk is a little under half full of her own things. She didn't own much to begin with, so it all the important things fit easily inside. It's a relief she won't have to try to get any items from her sister.

The girls settle in with tea and chat until it gets late. Lex hates to admit it, but being rid of her sister is actually pretty great. She still loves her as a caretaker, but maybe separation will help her sort out her problems and Lex will see her again someday.

She goes to bed and sleeps better than she has in months.

The next week is full of odd jobs. She starts off small, mostly in-town jobs, and managed to cover her half of the rent right on time. She ends up paying it alone with the money Lucy left on her desk and her own since Natsu dragged her off on some job and hasn't returned yet.

Lex loves this guild. It's outrageous and free, something refreshing she had yet to experience. Maybe one day she'll be as powerful as some of the better known mages, but until then she just has one major concern. Only one, the least amount she's had in her life.

Rent.


	4. Meddling Mirajane

Gray is looking at the billboard when Mirajane saddles up next to him.

"Going on the cave-in mission?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Take Lex with you!"

Gray looks at her with an irritated look.

"Why would I take some submissive rookie with me?"

"Because she's only been taking small jobs so far. I think she's afraid of taking bigger ones because she thinks the members who have been here longer want them."

"That's not my problem."

Mirajane flashes a sweet, adorable smile at him.

"If you don't take her I'll tell Erza you refused to welcome a newcomer to the guild."

"Y-You wouldn't!"

Her smile turns a bit dark and Gray realizes she's serious.

"I'll put down Gray Fullbuster and Alexis Grimsever for the cave mission."

He rubs his hand over his face and begrudgingly agrees before heading off to find the rookie.

…'…'…

Lex is eating lunch alone at home when she hears a voice behind her.

"Grab your stuff, you're coming with me."

She jumps and spins around to find a shirtless Gray standing nonchalantly in her shared house.

"How did you even get in here?"

"Not important, hurry up before we miss the train."

Lex grabs a maroon backpack from beside the couch and pulls it on before following Gray to the door.

"You should put your shirt back on."

"CRAP."

They finally find the garment all the way across the room and he pulls it on. With that they head to the station in silence. Gray doesn't say anything more to her and she's too nervous to say anything to him. In the end they're already halfway to their destination before Gray speaks.

"Don't you want to know what we're doing?"

"Yes, but I figured you'd tell me yourself since you asked me to come."

"There's a mining town called Nadia at the base of that mountain over there. Apparently there was a cave-in earlier that trapped some miners inside and they decided to send out a request since they couldn't get them out themselves. The request was marked high priority."

"I hope the cave isn't too big or we may not find everyone in time…"

"Seventy thirty."

"What?"

"The cut. You get thirty percent."

Lex shrugs. She already made rent so she doesn't really care, just hopes it'll be enough to buy a bed. That couch is killing her poor back.

They pull into the town and are met by an anxious crowd of people. They spot the Fairy Tail symbol on Lex's stomach and begin to talk amongst themselves anxiously. They have good reason to be nervous, the guild is known for destroying things. She just hopes Gray doesn't have as bad a reputation as Natsu.

"Please, come this way! Hurry, please, there are still eight men unaccounted for!"

An old, white haired man flags them down and leads them towards the mine. The rest of the crowd follows closely behind carrying medical supplies and stretchers. The entrance isn't blocked so the rubble must be farther in. The old man hands them a couple lanterns (magical ones that glow without flame) and shifts his weight anxiously as the two start inside.

They walk a ways in until they find the pile of debris blocking the tunnel.

"Now what?"

Gray plants one fist on his upright palm, fingers splayed. A light blue magic circle appears but Lex stops him.

"Why did you stop me?"

"Let me check and see if anyone is buried under there before you start freezing anything."

"You've never seen me use my power."

"No, but I've read about you in The Daily Sorcerer. Just give me a second, okay?"

He says nothing, but his hands drop to his sides. Lex hands him the lantern and takes a step back.

"Shadow Walk."

A black magic circle forms under Lex. Gray's eyes widen as he watches her sink into her own shadow quickly. He had no idea she could do that. The shadow shoots underneath the rock pile easily without disturbing it. She's gone a few minutes and soon the shadow reappears back at Gray's feet. Her head and arms push out from the shadow like a swimmer surfacing and she uses the ground beside her to pull herself out.

"There are five men on the other side of the pile and there's nobody inside it. I told them to get back and holler if anything starts collapsing on their end."

He nods and reassumes his position, fist on palm. He proceeds to freeze the tunnel walls, leaving the debris mostly untouched. Once the ice barrier is sufficiently thick he starts halfhazardly shoveling the stuff behind them with a giant ice shovel. Eventually they break open a human sized space and start pulling the miners through. A couple of them are hurt but the others look alright. Lex addresses them as they help them out of the danger zone.

"Is anyone else left inside?"

"Yeah, Paul and Trevor were in the back and they got buried! I don't know where Richard went…he just vanished before the collapse and we thought he might have gotten out…"

They meet a chorus of cheers when they reach the entrance. Without stopping they head back in to find the other three, climbing into the space the other miners had been in.

"They said the back, but which of these is the back?"

There are a few smaller branching tunnels from here. They decide to start checking them together instead of separating and it doesn't take them long to find another collapsed tunnel. Lex vanishes into her shadow and Gray waits patiently outside.

When she returns she surfaces and heaves a miner up out of her shadow with her. Gray pulls him out while she goes back in for the second one. Both had been buried and both are in really bad shape, so they bring them to the entrance quickly.

A woman at the front of the crowd keeps sobbing.

"Where is Richard? Where is my Richie? My baby, you have to find him please he's my only son!"

They go back in and search the remaining tunnels. Gray is getting frustrated.

"Where could this guy be? He wasn't anywhere near the other people."

"I'm not sure…he's got to be around here though. He didn't make it out, unless there's a back exit."

They enter a slightly collapsed room and find the miner, a rock pinning his leg to the ground. He's clutching his hand to his chest.

"Richard?"

"Get this thing offa me!"

Gray starts to move the rock, and as he does the guy moves frantically and knocks a partially fallen beam over. The roar of falling stone fills the room as Gray grabs the guy and turns to Lex.

"GET OUT-"

He's silenced by a massive slab of rock falling onto Lex, blocking his path. He surrounds himself in ice and fights to hold up the weight of the breaking tunnel.

"Dammit! Mirajane if you hadn't told me to bring Lex she…damn…"

The weight presses him down and he pushes against it. The miner is sobbing.

"God above this is all my fault! I moved a support beam to get at a diamond cause I wanted to take it home for my family and the whole tunnel went! I'm such an idiot and now that pretty girl is dead! We're dead!"

Gray shuts his eyes tightly as he gives and collapses downward. After a few seconds he realizes he isn't in any pain and opens his eyes to find himself staring into pitch black darkness. He wonders momentarily if he's dead, but soft hands pulling his arm tell him otherwise. He's suddenly in blinding daylight and realizes he's just been pulled out of Lex's shadow. He heaves himself out and she goes back in, coming back with Richard.

The teen's mother is in hysterics when she sees him. Gray leans forward and points at him.

"Hey, you almost got everyone killed!"

This draws the crowds attention. Richard looks ashamed.

"I just wanted to help my family."

"You aren't helping anyone by putting people in danger! Look, your leg is messed up and you can't work. What can you do for your family now?"

Richard sobs. His mother holds his shoulders.

"Richie…what did you do?"

"I…I took down a support beam to mine a diamond!"

There's a collective gasp and angry shouts. Richard hands the diamond to Lex, since she's still kneeling beside him.

"I'm so sorry…"

"Why didn't you tell someone your family was having trouble?"

"I was embarrassed; I didn't want anyone to know I can't even support my own family…"

"Idiot. Is it worth your pride to suffer in silence?"

"Huh?"

"There are times when a man has to protect his pride and his honor, and there are times when he's beat. You can't think of your reputation when other people are suffering with you. Don't be afraid to reach out, everyone needs a hand sometime."

"Thank you…"

The crowd, after hearing Lex, settles down. The mayor takes the diamond from her and holds it above his head.

"The mage is right! We will start helping and uplifting each other starting now! Let's use this gem to pay for all of the miner's medical bills and help them get back on their feet!"

A resounding cheer punctuates his speech. He turns back to Lex and hand her a cloth bag.

"Here is your reward, mages. Thank you for everything you have done. Please, join us in town for dinner, on us."

Lex takes the bag with a smile and looks at Gray. He surprises her by accepting the mayor's hospitality.

As they walk back into town she counts out some of the money and hands the rest of the bag to Gray. He holds it uncertainly.

"You didn't take very much."

"I agreed on thirty percent, remember?"

Gray shakes his head and counts out another twenty percent, handing it to her.

"No, I took your capabilities for granted. You're a mage; you should get your share."

She takes the money with a smile.

"Thanks. I can't really blame you for being cold; Mirajane did kind of make you bring me."

"Oh…you uh, heard that?"

She laughs and nods.

"Shadows may hide the form, but they don't cancel out sound. They just muddle it."

"Your power is pretty useful then."

"I like to think so. I'm not nearly as powerful as you guys yet though."

"You'll improve."

She nudges his arm.

"So you really thought I'd been crushed, huh?"

Gray stammers.

"Of course not!"

"You liar, you were worried about me!"

She giggles as he tries to find a reply. They end up eating in town and heading back on the late train. Gray didn't want to admit it, but Lex was actually kind of fun to travel with.


	5. Home Again

When Lex gets home it's extremely late at night. The train ride had been long and surprisingly pleasant after Gray started actually talking to her. They'd exchanged funny guild stories for a majority of the ride. Lex yawns and drops her bag back beside the couch.

She's surprised to see the light in the bedroom is still on. Squinting up at the clock she realizes it's nearly three in the morning. Lex can hear the rhythmic scratching of a pen as she pushes the door open.

"You're up late."

Lucy jumps a bit and looks up at her.

"Oh, welcome back! You just get in?"

"Yeah, I was in Nadia all afternoon. How was your mission with Natsu?"

She let out an irritated groan and placed her face in her palms.

"We were escorting a trade caravan and it was attacked. You get one guess as to what happened."

"Natsu destroyed the caravan?"

Lucy nods and rubs her temples.

"The goods weren't hurt but the whole caravan was fried! They kept our reward to pay for its replacement!"

"Wow…"

"I hope your day went better than mine…"

"It was pretty good actually. Gray and I went to help with a cave-"

"Wait a minute; you went on a job with _Gray_?"

"…Yes? Was I not supposed to?"

"No, its fine you did, it's just weird. Multiple people have told me Gray doesn't like taking jobs with anyone. He's always featured in the lone wolf section of Magnolia's Mage Glamour magazine."

"He only brought me along because Mirajane made him. She knew I was only taking small jobs and wanted me to go on a better paying one."

"Hey, why do you only take small jobs anyway?"

"Back at Lamia Scale the mages had ranks. Fairy Tail doesn't, but I wasn't sure if they did there for a while. I kind of liked meeting the people of Magnolia anyway so I just kind of stuck with it."

"Ranks?"

"S-Class mages are the highest ranked, strongest mages in the guild that get the impossibly hard jobs. A-Class are right below them and take on most of the hardest missions with the best pay. B-Class mages get the slightly lesser missions, usually tracking down criminals or dealing with small scale monsters. C-Class mages mostly get the tiny extermination jobs and missions that don't have any fighting in them. D-Class mages are glorified errand people for the town."

"What class were you?"

"I was at rank D until I was ten, and I didn't get to rank B until I was sixteen."

"Why is that kind of ranking system even in place? Fairy Tail has never had to use one, nor have many other guilds."

"I think it's mostly in place for two reasons: popularity and security. Mages who are really popular rank faster because it spurs on their fans and raises the guild's popularity, regardless of skill level. In reality the only real difference between mages C through A are how much people like them. That, and it also makes people feel better knowing they are getting an A-Class mage over a B-Class mage. Sometimes they only send A-Class to nobles just to make them feel important."

"But that's unfair to the other mages who aren't popular but try really hard!"

"Exactly. In Lamia Scale your image is everything. The only time the really great mages are recognized is when something big happens and ability becomes more important."

"Like what?"

"Like when a dark guild took over part of the city and tried to assassinate the mayor. At that point Class didn't matter, and the Master sent out only the people she knew could handle the situation. It caused a huge uproar because most of them were B-Class mages."

"Who makes up the D-Class?"

"Mostly kids. It's pretty rare for Lamia Scale to let children in, but they do it occasionally if they see enough potential in them or they happen to be one of the guild members kids. I grew up with seven other children but they haven't had any new kids get in a long time. Most just train until their teens and then join."

"That makes sense…they don't want the kids trying to take jobs above their level."

"There are only so many times you can handle going under a house to fetch a cat before you snap though."

"That happened a lot?"

"Mrs. Penski owned fourteen cats and never paid anyone to block off the space under her house. Yes, it happened CONSTANTLY."

Lex fishes out her coin purse and holds it up triumphantly.

"On a more important note, I can afford a bed!"

"Great! Let's go shopping in the morning!"

"You do know morning is three hours away, right?"

"What?!"

Lucy grabs her clock and whines.

"I wasn't watching the time; I'm going to be so tired tomorrow!"

"What were you doing anyway?"

With a blush Lucy frantically pushes the stack of papers into her desk drawer.

"Nothing! Nothing, let's sleep."

Lex raises an eyebrow at her, but says nothing. She goes back in the living room and collapses onto the couch. She's asleep before her head hits the pillow.


	6. Company

Lex and Lucy stand triumphantly in their bedroom. It had taken a ton of switching around but they had finally found a way to fit all of the furniture into the room. Now Lex has a nice warm bed and a dresser all to herself, as well as a little corner desk she got on discount because people wouldn't buy them. They complained the desk was too small, but for Lex it was perfect.

They arrive at the guild just before lunch. Lucy opens the doors and Lex pulls her to the side just in time to avoid a chair someone had thrown.

"Lively as always I see."

They make their way inside and go seat themselves at a table that hasn't been wrecked yet. They realize the two main fighters are Natsu and Elfman. The two are spouting something about being manly when Lex prods Lucy's arm with her elbow.

"Watch this."

Lex holds her arm out and a black magic circle appears below her palm.

"Imprison."

A black shadow shaped like a hand shoots forward across the floor towards the two guys. As soon as it is underneath them Lex snaps her fingers into a fist and they vanish into the shadow. She flips her fist over and the shadow shoots up the wall and to the ceiling above where they had been fighting. Her hand opens as Natsu and Elfman drop headfirst from the shadow and plummet to the ground.

Everyone erupts into laughter as the two crash land and look around angrily for the culprit. Lex can't hide her smirk and eventually they catch her.

"HEY! I'll get you for that one!"

"Natsu you cannot hit Lex!"

"Why not? I've hit her before!"

"Hitting women is unmanly!"

Thus a second argument started. Lex shrugged in defeat and went back to her conversation without messing with them anymore. Eventually Lucy gets up to go order water.

"Hey, Lex?"

She looks up as Gray sits opposite her at the table.

"Hello."

"Taken any new jobs yet?"

"Not yet, I spent my morning buying some furniture."

"Good. Come with me then."

Lex can't help it. She's shocked. Just last night Lucy was telling her about how Gray worked alone and now he was asking her to go on another job with him?

"Mirajane didn't set you up again, did she? I haven't gotten a chance to ask her not-"

"No, she didn't. Do you want to go or not?"

Lex grins at him broadly. She didn't think he'd want her to go again since the first time was forced. It made for a great confidence booster.

"Yeah, I'll go."

"We leave at eight in the morning on Friday, alright? Meet me at the station."

"Where are we going?"

"The swamps, we're looking for a plant an apothecary needs to make medicine with. It's too dangerous for him to go and he can't find any to buy on the market right now."

He passes her a paper with a picture and description of the plant on it. It looks like an ugly, partially withered flower growing on a tree root, but apparently it's some kind of mushroom.

"The spores cause minor and temporary paralysis?"

"And it grows on a tree called the Twisted Oak. Ever heard of it?"

"No?"

"It's a tree native to the swamps. It looks like a normal oak tree, but it isn't. The branches are rubbery and bend so it can grab its prey like an arm. Then it shoves the victim into its digestive cavity like a demented Venus Flytrap."

"…I can see why he didn't want to go."

"Any problem with it?"

"No. I've never been to the swamps before, should be interesting."

"Alright. I'll see you Friday morning."

He gets up to leave.

"Gray?"

"What?"

"Your pants…"

"CRAP!"

He runs off to find them as Lucy returns to the table. Mirajane is walking beside her.

"What did Gray want?"

"Oh, he asked me to go on another job with him."

Mirajane claps her hands together happily.

"It worked! I knew you two would get along!"

"I think it's less we're 'getting along' and more I'm 'easy to tolerate'."

"Well whatever it is, it got Gray to start taking someone with him for once. He's one of the only Fairy Tail members that just refuse to make a team."

"We aren't a team, we never agreed to that. I doubt someone who likes working alone would form one."

"But this is your second job together!"

"Exactly. It's only the second, he may never ask again. Maybe he just needs help this one time."

"Well whatever the excuse, he asked."

Lex waves Mirajane away dismissively.

"I appreciate the thought, but please don't try shoving me together with other mages…I'm new, I need to get to know people first."

"Oh you aren't new anymore; you've been here for weeks! You've gotten to know Gray~"

"I don't know that much about him."

"What DO you know about him?"

She lets out an irritated sigh.

"He has a bad habit, doesn't like traveling with people, and Natsu fights with him more than anyone else."

Mirajane sighs with a smile.

"You'll warm up eventually."

She finally leaves, so Lucy sits down slowly. She sets a pint of beer in front of Lex.

"You didn't have to get me anything."

"I don't mind. So…what do you think about all this?"

"I think Mirajane is a bit nosier than people give her credit for."

Lucy laughs and shakes her head.

"I meant what do you think about Gray?"

"Oh…he's nice I guess. His magic is pretty."

"That's good! I was afraid he was rude to you."

"He was just irritated last time, I'm sure he isn't like that all the time. He just seems…laid back I guess?"

Lex grabs Lucy by the back of the neck, pushing her forward just in time to avoid a flaming piece of bench.

"I'm starting to think that fire extinguishers should be everywhere in this guild…"


	7. The Swamps

Friday morning rolls around and Lex finds herself waiting at the Magnolia station. She's a little too early so she decides to sit and read the local Fairy Tail magazine while she waited.

"Levy sounds so sweet, I wish she would come back from her job soon…Those guns look so cool! I should introduce myself to Bisca and Alzack sometime."

Lex suddenly sits forward in her seat. She examines a page feeling a bit overwhelmed.

"Woah…It's me…"

In big bold letters across the top of the page are the words "NEWEST MEMBER: ALEXIS GRIMSEVER" and there's a huge picture of her on it. They must have snapped it while she was out on a job. It shows her leaning on a wall looking uncharacteristically serious. She reads the description.

_Alexis (Lex) Grimsever is the newest member to join the Fairy Tail guild. The mysterious, deadly air about her could intimidate even the most powerful enemies! Watch out for this up-and-coming beauty! How powerful is this sexy shadow mage?! What secret is she hiding behind that serious look, and will she be the next guild star to win our hearts? Find out in next month's issue of Magnolia's Fairy Tail periodical!_

She closes the magazine and shakes her head.

"Mysterious? Not exactly a word I'd describe myself as."

Gray shows up on time and Lex is moderately surprised he has all of his clothes on. He's even wearing a long, white coat.

"Ready to go?"

"Yep, train should be here soon."

He looks at the magazine beside her on the bench and chuckles.

"You read that garbage?"

"I was curious. They have a page featuring me, it surprised me."

"The whole 'mysterious beauty' thing? That's just media drivel trying to keep people interested."

"So…you read that garbage too?"

Gray attempts (and fails) to make a smooth recovery while Lex laughs. The two are interrupted by the train whistle.

They board the train and settle into their seats. The ride is long and uneventful and they have to change trains a few times before they finally arrive at the right town. After that they have to walk.

"So how much of this fungus do we need to bring back?"

Gray pulls a burlap sack from his pocket and hands it to her.

"We have to fill this completely to receive our reward."

"That's not too bad. It's as big as a gallon freezer bag."

He stops moving and turns to look at Lex.

"Be careful from here on out, okay? Especially since you've never been here before."

Lex nods and they continue walking. The ground continues to get softer and the foliage thicker as they move in. The stench of standing water fills the air as they continue to push through the muck.

"I'm never going to get all this mud off my boots…"

Lex pulls up the dirty leg of her cargo pants and knocks her thick black boots on the side of a huge tree root to throw some of the filth off. Gray just shakes his head.

"If you didn't want them to get dirty you shouldn't have worn them."

"I don't mind them getting dirty, I mind having the clean them later."

"Isn't that the same thing?"

"Look over there!"

Lex points at a massive tree just across the water from them. The mushrooms are growing in plain sight right below it on its winding roots. Gray places his fist on his open palm and Lex watches the light blue magic circle appear.

"Ice Make: Floor."

A thick layer of ice coats the top of the water. Gray starts across it without any trouble while Lex attempts to follow. She gets a few feet across before slipping and falling flat on her back.

"Ow…"

"Are you alright?"

He returns to her side and offers her his hand. She takes it and he hauls her to her feet.

"There. Step more carefully this time."

She tries, but ends up slipping again. Gray catches her by her elbows and steadies her.

"You're really bad at this…"

"Hey, I don't have as much experience walking on ice as you do."

"You've never been ice-skating before?"

Lex looks away with a frown.

"No…"

"Here."

Gray takes one of her hands in his and places his other hand on the bare skin of her back. His hands are colder than a normal person should be, but it doesn't bother her. She just feels embarrassed as he helps her across like that.

They reach the other side and he steps away from her. Lex looks up at the tree and remembers what Gray said about it.

"How does it know you're there to grab you? It's a tree…"

"No clue."

"Wait…have you ever done a job like this before?"

"Nope."

Lex blanks and tilts her head to the side.

"Then…how do we…get the mushroom…"

Gray steps forward slowly and plucks one off the root with his sleeve over his face to keep the spores out. Lex suddenly points up, an alarmed look on her face.

"Gray look out!"

He dodges a branch that goes to grab him, but a second one catches him by the wrist and snatches him up into the air. Lex attempts to reach him, but a branch wraps around her torso and pins her arms to her sides. The third branch seizes Gray's other wrist and pulls his arms taut as he struggles to bring his hands together. They pull him towards an opening in the tree and try to shove him inside, but he plants his feet on either side of the opening to push himself back from the cavity. A stench like that of bad breath and stomach acid pours from the hole beneath him.

"Lex! Use your shadow thing to get us out of here!"

"It doesn't work like that!"

"What do you mean it doesn't work like that?!"

He watches her flex her arms with a growl, pulling them upwards enough to push the branch up her torso to free her elbows. Black magic circles appear in front of her clenched fists.

"Black Cat!"

Shadowy mist erupts around her fists and Gray watches it collect around each of her fingers and solidify into long, sharp black claws. She thrusts her hand outwards with a yell and slices easily through the branch holding her. It spasms and drops her as another branch snaps around her ankle, holding her upside down. She flexes upwards and slices through it as well, freeing herself and twisting in the air so she can land on one of the branches holding Gray's arms. She severs it seconds before a branch slings itself into her side and flings her to the ground.

She lands on a mess of roots and mud with a splat, the wind knocked out of her. She realizes too late she's landed on a patch of the fungi as the feeling begins to leave her body. Her eyes flutter open just in time to see the aftermath of Gray's magic.

Small, sparkling flurries of snowy ice are falling gently towards the ground from the frozen tree. Lex is overcome by the dizzying feeling of seeing the swirling reflected light and being completely unable to feel her body. It isn't long before her eyes flutter closed and she drops into unconsciousness.


	8. Camping Out

Lex finally stirs, her eyes blinking rapidly in an attempt to wake up faster. She moves sluggishly until she manages to get herself into a sitting position.

"Good, you're awake."

"Ugh…I feel like hell…"

"You should, you landed in a huge patch of that stuff. You've been out for hours."

Lex looks up at the dark sky and frowns. Then she glances around herself and realizes they are now on the edge of the swamp in the woods where the ground is harder.

"Did you carry me here?"

"I had to; I couldn't leave you there for the tree when it thawed out."

"Oh, uh, thank you."

"It wasn't hard. You are kind of heavy though. Lay down, you're probably still out of it."

Lex shakes her head and stretches her limbs. Her whole body is tingly like your feet get when they go numb. What he said finally dawns on him when he notices Lex isn't making eye contact with him anymore.

"Er, I mean you're heavy, but you aren't fat or anything. I mean muscle is heavier than fat. You don't have much fat."

He closes his eyes and takes a breath until he can rephrase his words.

"You're in good shape."

When he looks at Lex again, she's laughing at him.

"Sorry, sorry, you just looked so dumbfounded there."

"Says the woman covered head to toe in mud."

Lex's eyes grow wide and she looks down at herself. Her white midriff top and black cargo pants are caked in dried mud. She notices the back of Gray's white coat is too.

"I should change, I'll be right back."

She grabs her bag and ducks behind a large tree. It takes her a while to get the cracking mud off of the bare skin of her back, but she gets most of it off and dresses quickly. When she returns she's wearing a purple tank top and a dark gray denim vest. Her short denim shorts are the same color.

"Gray…"

"Hmm?"

"You're naked again."

He looks down at his boxers and reaches for his discarded clothing. He puts everything back on but leaves off the muddy coat.

Lex sits down on the ground beside him and a look of realization crosses her face.

"Wait! The mushrooms!"

Gray reaches into his own bag and pulls out the burlap sack. It's filled to bursting and Lex lets out a sigh of relief.

"Oh good…"

"By the way, what did you mean when you said your magic didn't work that way?"

"In order for me to enter a shadow I have to be on or near a moderately flat surface that's big enough. Think of the shadow as a hole. It has to be big enough to get into, and it has to be in something. The same rule applies to using it on other people."

Gray nods.

"So what were the claw things?"

"There are two types of shadow magic: fluid and solid. Fluid is the misty type, and is mostly used for travel and stealth. Solid is used for combat, and consists of hardened shadow."

"You know both types then?"

"You could say that…Missy tried to teach me both types at once. It ended up making it hard for me to master both, so both types are lacking a little. I need a lot more practice to refine them."

"That was your sister, right?"

Lex launches into the same explanation she had given Lucy before. Gray listens, intrigued. Eventually the story is over and they cook some provisions over the fire and eat together. Lex stokes the fire while Gray digs a bedroll out of his bag.

"Looks like we're camping tonight."

"We can't walk back?"

"No, the woods around here turn into a maze at night. We should just sleep and head back to town in the morning."

Lex looks up into the tree canopy with a frown. She's never liked camping, but at least this time she isn't alone. She lays out her own bedroll and settles in for the night.

They'd only been asleep for a few hours when Lex is awakened by a twig snapping. Her eyes snap open and she looks around the inky blackness for the source of the sound. The fire is out, which isn't right. It should have lasted much longer than that. Gray is snoring extremely loudly a foot away from her. She slowly reaches out and shakes his leg, which is the closest thing she can reach. She hisses a whisper.

"Gray. GRAY."

He grunts and rolls over, now fully awake.

"What?"

"There's someone here."

Gray stiffens and they both listen. Silence weighs heavily between them. They hear a shuffle and begin moving, slowly stuffing their bedrolls back into their bags. Suddenly Lex grabs his arms and pulls him to the side just as something goes swishing by his head.

"What was that?!"

"A blow dart, stay down."

They wait a moment until she pulls him to his feet and grabs his hand, weaving the two of them between the trees quickly. She stops suddenly behind one and hushes Gray.

They don't have long to wait as the person in question comes sneaking around the tree on Gray's side.

"There!"

He punches their pursuer in the face and he drops like a rock.

"Is he down?"

"Yeah, you got him good. He's out cold."

"How can you see? It's pitch black out here!"

"I'm a shadow mage, remember? I can see in the dark like you can walk on ice."

"I probably should have known that."

Lex lights a fire and the two tie up their pursuer. He's a scraggly looking guy with a belt of dart guns. Lex opens his bag and whistles.

"Gray, look!"

The bag in question is full of jewelry and money. Gray tightens the bindings on the man and looks in the bag himself.

"I think we just caught a thief."

"Let's try and get back into town. I think I can find my way back."

"Alright, just be careful."

"Gray?"

"What?"

"You're naked."

"DAMMIT."


	9. Catching Criminals And Bullying Bullies

It only takes Lex a couple of hours to guide them to the town. The sun is just starting to break over the horizon when they arrive and are greeted by a small mob in the town square. Based on the way people are talking it sounds like they woke up and discovered the robbery not long before they got there. Gray drops the bound man in front of the crowd and straightens his back with a crack.

"Now YOU are heavy. Jeez."

Lex holds up the man's bag and the crowd erupts into ecstatic cheering. A few men haul the still only semi-conscious criminal into the town hall and lock him up until the police arrive from the city.

"How did you find him?"

"He ambushed us in the woods outside the swamp. We didn't know he'd robbed the town until we looked in his bag."

"I'm so glad you two caught him! He's Sleeping Stanly!"

"Who?"

Gray seems to recognize the name.

"The criminal who uses poison to knock people out, right?"

"Yes! He robbed everyone and even killed one of the guards here in this town, not to mention what he's done in other towns! He cleans out small villages and towns that don't have a police force and escapes before they can arrive."

Lex frowns deeply.

"What a coward…"

"Please, let us reward you for helping us!"

Gray holds up a hand to stop him.

"We can't accept an award for a job we didn't take. If the guy has a bounty we'll take that instead."

"Wait…are the two of you mages?"

Lex pulls up her tank top a bit to reveal the guild mark on her stomach. The man laughs heartily.

"What an idiot to attack two mages! Thank you Fairy Tail, I'll make sure your guild gets credit for catching this scoundrel. Isn't there anything we can do for you?"

The two look at each other tiredly. Lex smiles at the man.

"Do you happen to have somewhere we can sleep?"

He shows them into his house and offers them the guest room. Lex takes the bed and Gray goes back to the living room to sleep on the couch. They wake up around lunch and end up getting accosted by the townspeople before they can finally slip away unnoticed. Gray yawns.

"The only bad thing about being a mage is the popularity. It gets irritating sometimes."

"They mean well. We're like celebrities to them."

They make it to the station and order some food from a concession stand to eat while they wait for the train to arrive. Lex points to the edge of the sack poking out of Gray's bag.

"Where do we deliver this to anyway?"

"The apothecary lives in Magnolia, so we can just take it to him when we get home."

They do just that when they arrive late that afternoon. The apothecary is a young man with curly brown hair.

"Thank you so much for getting these for me! I haven't been on my own long and I keep forgetting to restock. Now I can make that anesthetic again!"

He gives them their reward and they head out after splitting it.

"Well, today was an eventful day. I hope Mirajane has something strong, I feel like drinking until I pass out tonight."

Gray looks at her and raises an eyebrow.

"I didn't take you for a drinker."

"I enjoy a good buzz now and then."

"Don't get too wasted, I'm not carrying you home."

"I've never needed anyone to before. Unless weird mushroom spores are involved."

They both laugh and continue back to the guild. As they are walking they come across a kid being bullied. Gray narrows his eyes angrily and Lex looks at him questioningly.

"What's wrong?"

"That's Romeo. He's Macao's son."

"Why are they bullying him?"

Gray sighs.

"Some of the people who live in Magnolia think Fairy Tail is full of people who only drink and fight. They have no respect for us, and the mage's kids get bullied. Romeo gets it the worst because Macao hasn't been taking any jobs recently."

"Didn't Lucy and Natsu just bring Macao back from the mountains? I heard he was in really bad shape."

"Yeah, he still is. He's been recovering at home."

Their attention is drawn to the kids then. Romeo looks infuriated.

"Say that again?!"

"You'd have been better off if your useless old man had bit the dust on that mountain! Just goes to show that all those mage's are weak! He should just give up and die already!"

"I'm proud of my dad! He's an awesome mage! He beat nineteen monsters all by himself!"

"If he was so awesome he wouldn't have been dragged back with his tail between his legs!"

Lex has a cross expression on her face as she raises her hand a bit. A black magic circle sprawls out from under her fingertips.

"Puppet."

The shadows of the boys bullying Romeo rise up off the ground. Romeo jumps back and the boys laugh.

"Whatcha afraid of, wuss?"

Lex moves her fingers slightly and the shadows start wrapping their arms around the boy's shoulders. They spin around and see the shadow puppets, then run away screaming. Romeo spots Lex and Gray standing off to the side and runs up to them.

"Did you do that?! That was awesome!"

Lex ruffles his hair with a smile.

"Just remind them next time they insult Fairy Tail that one of those mages sent them running home with THEIR tails between their legs."

Romeo grins and runs off. Gray looks at Lex questioningly.

"Why did you do that?"

"I wouldn't have been able to enjoy my buzz later if I'd just walked off without terrorizing those little bastards."

Gray busts out laughing and Lex grins cheekily. They walk back to the guild together and Gray buys her a beer.

When she gets home she flops down onto her bed with a happy sigh late that night. The impending hangover is well worth the good natured partying from earlier.


	10. Team Black Ice

Several days later Lex is sitting in the guild hall when Mirajane comes hurrying over to where she is sitting with Lucy.

"Look at this!"

She thrusts the local magazine and an envelope into Lex's face. The envelop contains a letter from the town telling Lex there wasn't a bounty, but it also has a clipping from the paper in it. The article is titled "FAIRY TAIL MAGES CATCH DASTARDLY CRIMINAL" and has a really good picture of her and Gray standing together and looking awesome in general. She returns the items to the envelope and stuffs it into her pocket. Mirajane flips open the magazine and points to one of the pages excitedly.

Lex notices that the magazine picture is the same one that is in the article, but with the headline "RISING STAR AND HEARTTHROB FORM TEAM". She reads further.

_Lex Grimsever and Gray Fullbuster have been frequently seen together the last few weeks. Has the mysterious beauty of Fairy Tail formed a new team with the lone wolf? Has she finally warmed up the cold, yet sexy Gray? Will these two be the new dynamic team that we've been rooting for?! What is the fate of Team Black Ice?! Ladies, hold on to your hearts! Gray may have finally met his perfect partner!_

Lex closely the magazine and flings it away.

"Where the hell did they get 'Team Black Ice' from?"

Mirajane's smile breaks and she tears up some.

"Oh…wait, you told them we were a team?"

"I might have thought it was a good idea at the time."

Lex wants to be mad at Mirajane, but she just ends up pinching the bridge of her nose to fight off her headache.

"I told you we never agreed we were a team."

"I was *sniffle* just being hopeful."

She looks to Lucy for help.

"Why don't you talk to Gray about it?"

"Jeez he's going to think I had something to do with this…"

"He may not even know yet, go tell him about it."

"Ugh…"

Lex hauls herself to her feet and leaves the guild. She decides today would be a good day to go for a walk outside of town. She needs to clear her head.

Eventually she finds a pond and sits down on the bank. She skips a few stones across the water before letting herself fall backwards into the soft grass.

"I thought peer pressure went away when you grew up."

"Nope, that would be too easy."

She jumps and flips on her side. Gray is standing by a nearby tree.

"You scared me!"

"Sorry, I was looking for you."

"This is about the magazine article, right?"

He takes a seat beside her and skips a rock across the water himself. Lex sits up and picks his discarded shirt up off the ground, folding it nicely and placing it beside him. She usually doesn't say anything unless the pants come off.

"Team Black Ice, huh?"

"That's what is said."

"At least it's more creative than fire brain's Team Natsu."

They skip stones for a few minutes until Gray speaks.

"You know, I've been stopped by reporters all day. Thought I'd never get away."

"That's why I didn't go into the city today."

"Let's do it."

Lex looks at him, her face registering confusions and then shock.

"Wait…do you mean-"

"Let's form a team. Team Black Ice."

"Are you really okay with that?"

Gray chuckles.

"The media called me the 'lone wolf' because I never formed a team. I never formed a team because I don't get along with the other people that don't have a team, and I didn't want to join a preexisting team. You make teams with people you get along with and trust, and it's best to form one with someone whose ability compliments your own."

"Does the latter apply?"

"I think so. Magic is interesting, there are plenty of combinations."

Gray holds out his hand to her. She takes it and they shake firmly.

"As of today, we are an official team."

They smile at each other and stand to head back to the guild. Lex gives Gray his shirt and it dawns on him he should put it back on.

Right as they walk into the guild they are stopped by a reporter.

"Do the two of you have anything to say about the recent suspicions that the two of you have formed a team?"

The entire guild goes dead silent as the recorder is held up to Gray's face.

"Yes, Alexis Grimsever and I are an official team."

As cheers and gasps break out, Lex looks over the bar where Mirajane is clapping excitedly. Makarov is on the bar next to her grinning broadly from ear to ear. The reporter hurries away clutching his recorder happily and Natsu rushes up to them.

"Lex! Fight me!"

"W-Why?!"

"Because you're the perverts teammate, that means you're probably strong!"

Gray stomps his foot in irritation.

"What did you call me?!"

"Pervert!"

"Dragon breath!"

"Ice-brain!"

Lex slowly slips from the argument and joins Lucy at her table.

"Isn't it ironic?"

"Hmm?"

"That we'd end up roommates AND the teammates of the two biggest rivals in Fairy Tail!"

Lex just laughs and looks back at the fight going on behind her.

"It's certainly an interesting situation."


	11. Lullaby

"You should pick this time."

"I should?"

"I picked the last few times, it's your turn."

"Ugh I hate picking jobs…"

Lex eyes the bulletin board with an indecisive stare. Eventually she points at one and turns to Gray.

"What do you think?"

"Clearing out Grimbles? That's easy enough."

Lex tears the page down and inspects it. The town of Rose Water has been having trouble with Grimbles and they want mages to come drive them out. Grimbles are weird little mole creatures that burrow under fields and destroy crops, but they are pretty sensitive to magic. That's why they never get near communities where a lot of magic is present.

"It's a sizable reward for an extermination job."

"They must be having trouble getting people to come out. Some mages don't think handling Grimbles is worth their time."

"What do you think about it?"

"Shouldn't take us more than a couple of hours to chase them off and the reward is nice."

"Great, let's get going then."

There isn't a station between Magnolia and Rose Water, so they decide to hoof it. The woods make a great shortcut and the greenery is beautiful. They reach the farmland and take up positions in the center. Lex crosses her wrists in front of herself.

"This gives me an excuse to practice at least. Assassin's Bracers!"

Hard, solid shadow coats the top of her fists and the front of her arms to her elbows. She concentrates hard on trying to make the shadow completely cover her arms and palms but she doesn't gain much ground. Gray is walking around placing spikes of ice into the ground to keep pushing the Grimbles back as Lex exudes more magic to help chase them away.

She hisses a curse under her breath as the shadow shatters and falls away. The second and third attempts end the same way.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to cover more of my body in solid shadow."

"I see. So that's your solid shadow magic handicap?"

Lex sighs as the shadow crumbles away, the fourth try a failure.

"Unfortunately. I can only get it to cover half of my forearm and the back of my hand and fingers."

"I'm done, so just tell me when you're ready and we can head back."

Lex sighs and wipes the sweat from her brow.

"I'm good, we can go. Think the farmers will be pleased?"

"The Grimbles shouldn't be coming back anytime soon. Let's get our payment and go."

They do just that and head back into the woods. Gray breaks off to go deeper into the bushes and Lex patiently waits for him.

A sudden crash and shouting calls her attention in his direction. She cautiously heads that way and finds his clothes discarded on a tree branch. It sounds like Natsu up ahead.

"There's no way there'd be a bathroom in the forest anyway!"

"And weren't _you _the one barging in when a guy is going to the bathroom, you bastard?!"

"Exhibitionist!"

"Talking matchstick!"

Lex breaks free of the tree line and goes to stand beside Lucy.

"What are they, third graders?"

"Boys will be boys."

Lex steps closer to them and offers Gray his clothing.

"You should get dressed. Then we all sit down on that pretty cliff over there and have a civil conversation. We are all comrades from the same guild after all."

He begrudgingly gets dressed and they all sit in the soft grass together. Happy fishes in the lake off the cliff while everyone chats. Lex hands Lucy a half of a wrapped loaf of bread from her bag.

"We were on a job in the farms northeast of here. One of the ladies gave me some herb bread, its good."

"Oh, so you guys were coming back into town?"

Gray nods and breaks off a piece of bread.

"The woods here are a great shortcut to Magnolia."

"See? See! See!"

Lucy glares at Happy.

"You were bragging about your nose, but you didn't even realize Gray was there."

"There are some things you don't want to smell."

Lex stifles a laugh and looks at him guiltily. Natsu stretches and waves at Gray dismissively.

"Enough of you, get back by yourself."

"Of course. It'll be trouble if we don't get back soon."

Lex stands with him and pulls her bag onto her shoulders.

"Trouble? What kind of trouble."

A dark, distressed look crosses his face.

"Erza will be back soon."

Lex and Lucy look at each other.

"Erza? Isn't she Fairy Tail's strongest female mage? Why do you guys look so petrified?"

"Really? I want to meet her! I've never seen a picture of her in magazine though, what kind of person is she?"

They answer in unison.

"Scary."

Lex swallows hard.

"Oh she can't be that bad…right?"

They start trying to find something to compare Erza to.

"Wild animal?"

"Beast?"

"More like evil demon!"

"That's about right if you're talking about how scary she is."

"Actually, maybe it's even worse."

Lex and Lucy look at each other uncertainly.

"I-It can't be that bad."

They all stand to hurry home when suddenly sand begins blowing all around them. Gray struggles to help free Lex from the pile of sand they are all buried in.

"It's a mage!"

"Where is Happy?!"

Scrambling around they eventually free each other from the sand and hurry after Happy. They find him being spit roasted with several people standing around. One man either looks like or is a giant chicken, and another one is grey-skinned, short, and bald. Male orange-haired twins in matching clothes stand beside a tall, levitating black haired man with a crystal ball. They burst into the clearing quickly and Happy cries out to them.

"Thank goodness! I won't taste weird!"

Natsu and Gray step into the clearing and crack their knuckles.

"You've got our friend there. You may be hungry, but we won't let you eat him."

"You're mages, right? From what guild?"

The little grey one lunges forward.

"None of your business! Sand Bomb!"

He summons a dingy yellow magic circle and sand winds around Natsu like a tornado. The chicken goes after Gray with a staff, shooting fire at him. Lex lunges at the twins to give Lucy an opening to get to Happy.

Gray finishes the chicken off easily and goes for the guy with the crystal ball. The ball glows and he holds it between himself and Gray.

"You'll get an unexpected visitor. The stars point to trouble with water and women. Beware of inner demons and unrequited love."

"Fortune Telling? Really?"

Gray walks up to the guy and elbows him without mercy. He shrieks and falls over next to the chicken.

"Assassin's Bracers!"

Lex brings her arms up in time to block the twin's weapons. Both have sai and continually slash at her with it as she blocks, the weapons clicking uselessly against the solid shadow. She easily disarms them and delivers a jaw shattering punch to both before knocking their heads together. She looks over and sees the other fights are over as well, so they tie everyone to a tree. Lex punches Gray in the arm.

"Show off, you didn't even use magic. Also, you're naked."

"You don't have to get serious about some small fry."

Lex suddenly turns toward the trees.

"Something is coming."

Everyone goes quiet. The little grey man coughs out a single word.

"Lulla…by…"

Gray looks at Lex.

"Lullaby? What is he-"

"Watch out!"

Lex grabs Gray by the arm and shoves everyone out of the way as something black goes rushing past them. A shadow hand appears below the tied up mages and they vanish into it along with the base of the tree.

"What was that?!"

"A shadow mage, a really fast one!"

"Should we go after him?"

"No, he's already gone. I don't know what direction he went in."

"I can't sense him anymore. Must be crazy fast…"

They all begin heading back to town with an uneasy feeling.

Lullaby?


	12. Enter, Erza

The next morning Lex and Gray are sitting together in the guild hall. Since Erza is supposed to be back soon they decided it would be better to just stay in town today.

"Erza isn't really as bad as you guys were making her out to be, is she?"

"She's scary, like a monster."

Lex turns around to ask Lucy her opinion, but at the moment she's discussing the legitimacy of her team with Natsu. Gray turns around to throw in his two cents after hearing the conversation.

"There's no need to pick a team right now. Before long you'll be having more invitations than you can imagine."

Lex pokes him.

"What, are you saying I settled for you when I could be in some of these other teams?"

"You can't do better than me don't worry."

He grins at her and she punches his arm playfully.

"Right, I can't do any better than the naked ice mage."

Cana leans over the table towards them.

"You forgot your clothes again."

"DAMMIT."

She and Lex laugh as Gray looks around frantically for his clothing. Ever since she'd had a drinking match with Cana they'd become fast friends. Natsu flips around.

"Shut up!"

"Did you tell me to shut up?!"

"Shut up you pervert!"

"Sparrow head!"

"Slippery bastard!"

Lex turns to Cana, who is shaking her head slowly.

"Have they always been like that?"

"Yep, since the day they met. I swear all they do in their spare time is come up with insults to throw at each other."

"You've known them a long time?"

"Yeah, we've been in Fairy Tail since we were children. Erza, Mirajane, and Elfman too."

"Wow…that's a lot of kids…"

"A lot of misplaced kids come through here…we're all orphans, technically. Natsu is a special case."

"Because he's a dragon slayer?"

"Yeah. Has he ever told you about the dragons?"

"No…"

"He was raised by a dragon called Igneel that mysteriously vanished on July 7 X777. He traveled around trying to find him until he ended up in Magnolia and Master invited him to join the guild. He's been a fiery thorn in our side ever since."

"And nobody knows what happened to the dragons?"

"Nope. They haven't been seen or heard of since."

Lex starts to ask another question but she gets distracted by the sight of Gray throwing Natsu, who lands on Lucy.

"G-Gray, don't crush Lucy!"

"He was picking a fight, how could I not honor his request?"

"Settle down and put your clothes on!"

Natsu is up and in his face again.

"You started it, droopy eyes!"

"When exactly did I start it, squinty eyes?!"

"Talking pants!"

"Idiot!"

Lucy watches the display in disgust.

"Their level is too low…"

"Aye sir."

The entire guild is silenced by the doors flying open. Loki is standing in the doorframe looking terrified.

"THIS IS BAD! Erza is back!"

Lex watches everyone in the guild suddenly take on horrified expressions. The tension is thick enough to be cut by a knife. She gets up and goes to stand beside Lucy.

"S-Such reactions…"

The rhythmic crunch of heavy boot steps becomes louder as a shadow falls in the doorway. In walks a woman wearing a blue skirt and an armored chest plate holding a massive decorated horn above her head. Lucy gasps beside her.

"She's pretty!"

The red haired woman in question sets down the horn and addressed Mirajane.

"Is Master back?"

"Welcome back! No, he's at the regular meeting."

The following exchange Lex doesn't see coming. She can only stare dumbfounded as Natsu and Gray link arms sweating from nerves and Erza goes around the room picking out people and telling them to stop doing things. Lucy leans over to whisper in her ear.

"Is she part of the disciplinary committee?"

"I can see why people are afraid of her…she's so strict, though it isn't as bad as it thought it would be…"

"She's got a viper's tongue, but she looks normal."

Erza turns to the guys.

"Gray. Natsu."

"Y-Yo Erza, we're getting along like always!"

"Aye!"

"I see. Even best friends fight from time to time, but I prefer to see you on good terms."

Lex rubs the back of her neck awkwardly and looks to Lucy.

"D-Did Natsu just start talking like Happy?"

"I've never seen Natsu like that!"

Mirajane taps on their shoulders and shows them a crude light pen drawing of Erza beating Natsu.

"Natsu challenged Erza to a fight once and was badly beaten. Then she beat up Gray after seeing him walking around half naked. She also beat up Loki when he flirted with her, but he reaped what he sowed."

Erza walks towards the boys and they stiffen.

"Natsu, Gray, I have a favor to ask. I heard something disturbing after having finished my job. Normally I would ask for the Master's opinion, but I must act quickly so I've decided for myself. I want you two to help me. Will you lend me your power?"

The guild breaks into murmurs as Mirajane brings her hands up to her face.

"Natsu, Gray, and Erza…I never thought about it before but…this could be the strongest team in Fairy Tail…"

Lucy and Lex look at each other, eyes wide.

"What could possibly be so horrible an S-Class mage would need help?!"


End file.
